Species Mixing

[justin]

Just wondering:

I have 3 CFB in a tank, and a friend just picked me up a "California Newt" and another CFB. I have no problem adding the CFB to the tank, but will the California newt cause problems?

The petstore had them in the same tank, but I'm not sure they know what's going on.

Would the toxicity of their skin bother eachother? Would the larger california newt (haven't checked species, much smaller than the typical "oregon" newts) become carnivorous? The oregon newt is about twice the size of the CFB.

Thanks.

 

[justin]

Do not mix the two, very bad idea. The petstore, as usual, was VERY wrong. Check the site for habitats and it will become a little more apparent.

 

[justin]

Yep, I can see how mixing it with a california newt (toxicity and eating preferences) is a bad idea. I do believe after studying it, that it was misidentified and is a granulosa.

Is it any safer to mix them together? I DO have a spare 5 gallon tank I can use if it is impossible to house the two together, but I have no spare plants/gravel right now.

 

[ira]

no, it is not any safer to mix these to species together. Toxcicity is the main problem (the granulosa being one of the more toxic newts known) but competiton, fighting and disease (espically since both newt types are wild caught and from completely differnet parts of the world) are still major concerns.

Mixing any animals together in a captive environment is not a good idea. Pets stores may say it is, but remember, they are trying to sell you animals. A 5 gallon should be good temporary housing for the granulosa, but it would be good to get it into a 10 within in the near future.

it would also be a good idea to quarentine your new cynops orientalis (cfb) for a month or two to make sure its healthy and not carrying any parasites or disease before introducing it to your healty colony. This is always a concern when dealing with wild caught animals.